New challenge on planar cell polarity in plants

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K14747
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Plant molecular biology/Plant physiology
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Fujita Tomomichi 北海道大学, 理学研究院, 教授 (50322631)
• Research Collaborator: Shindoh Chisato ; The Ooi-Kock ; Yao Jiawei
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: ヒメツリガネゴケ / 平面内細胞極性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

How cell polarity is established and maintained is a fundamental question for all organisms. The moss, Physcomitrella patens serves as an excellent model for studying cell polarity due to its easy observation at a cell level, high frequency of gene targeting and available genome information. In order to understand cell polarity regulation in plants, we studied a plant specific, plasma membrane protein in this research by generating overexpression or knock-out mutant lines and performed RNA-seq analysis in these mutants. Thus, we found this gene is, together with auxin signaling factors and microtubule, involved in cell polarity regulation in the moss protonemata.

Free Research Field

植物分子生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

平面内細胞極性(planar cell polarity, PCP)は、生物の高次機能に大切であり、その破綻は生命活動を直接脅かす。動物においてPCPの分子メカニズムの研究は進んできた一方で、植物のPCP制御の研究はあまり進んでいなかった。本研究により、植物のPCP制御に大事な複数の因子を新しく明らかにできたことは学術的意義が高く、この研究を手掛かりに植物のPCP制御の分子基盤の全容解明とまた植物種間や器官間におけるPCP制御の多様性や普遍性の研究への発展が期待できる。